CENTRAL CITY OF ELDORA
✬ 14 DAYS BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE OF MACHINA KEY ✬

Capella Elo picked her spoon up from the wooden table before placing it back down on the worn-mahogany surface. The edges chipped from years of use, the reminder put a smile on her face. But even the nostalgia did little to quell the bubbling anxiety thrumming through her veins

Another tick from the wall clock echoed in the kitchen. Mechanical parts moving through clear plastic confirmed she was awake. A calendar notched against the ceiling of her home double confirmed she was still alive. Torture. Waiting was akin to stretching herself thin from point A to point B. Only relief could be found if a nudge shifted her resting potential energy into something far more kinetic.

She grabbed her spoon again.

Apparently that had been the last straw because her twin brother tossed a half eaten peanut shell at her. It hit her in the nose, dropping on the table. She blinked once before she grabbed the crumbling shell, abandoning her utensil for it.

"The picking and dropping of your spoon is driving me mad," Ares Elo spoke, hands already busy picking apart another two peanuts from a ceramic bowl in front of him. "Must you be so annoying?"

Instead of being chagrined, Capella tossed the shells at him with the smile still on her face. "Speak for yourself. I'm not the one picking apart thirty peanuts from their casings and making no move to eat them."

Ares huffed a breath. Her words seemed enough for him to stop picking apart whatever number peanut he was on at the moment. He gathered the mess with a few scoops of his palms, pouring them into the ceramic plate before turning his gaze at her. It was clear that he was experiencing possibly the same amount of anxiety as she was. At least, those green-grey eyes were a shade or two brighter from no doubt the waiting. Hers would've looked the same.

"It is the day we become proper working adults," Ares said, words dyed in lack of enthusiasm one should feel on this auspicious day. "Unfortunately."

"Come on now," Capella said, picking her spoon up to point at her twin brother's face. "Surely you're excited to begin working. Finding which working area we belong to and serve our nation."

"More so at the ease of finally getting off the Eldora's Money Assistance Program," Ares said. "But I can feel it in my bones that I would not be ending up in the field I want."

The frown on her brother's face had her placing the utensil back on the worn-out table. Words of comfort would not suffice. Promises that he would get into the field he wanted would do nothing but disappoint should the mail letter specify otherwise. But she wished she could say them anyway.

Countless nights of oil burning when electricity costed too much, his face carrying dark circles as he tried to understand the physics behind Eldora's City Centre where the heart of their machinery was; all of it were clear signs of dedication that Ares would be a wonderful edition to the Engineering field. After all, enthusiastic, hard-working people were what required to keep up with the ever changing technology in their city.

"Now, now," Capella said, keeping her tone light. "One mustn't be so dark about the future."

Ares sniffed. "Says you. You see the world as it is without words and numbers jumbled up and making a mess in your head. How certain letters are not as they are and how certain equations and numbers don't register to me as they should."

The darkness shading his tone was enough of a metaphorical cold bucket of ice water poured over her. The weakness of the brain her brother harboured—she had almost forgotten about it. Thinning her lips, she looked at their front door. She could not offer her pity or sympathy because she didn't want to share any. It would just sound cheap.

Instead, she hoped her brother did get into Engineering. At least, to prove him his worth.

The chime reverberating into their home followed by two consecutive knocks and a voice hollering, "The results for Working Class Placement is here!" was enough to freeze the Elo twins. When their eyes met from across the table, neither made a move. In fact, she couldn't breathe. And Ares' face as pale as a white sheet seemed to be sending the same message.

Nervousness now became anxiety.

"Come on," Ares said, standing up. "Let's get this over with."

Yes. That they should. Taking in a deep breath, she followed after her brother. His strides were slow and she could not blame him. The slither of excitement in her died when Ares' fingers wrapped around the brass knob. Here lied their future.

Door opening, a mailman donned in whites and pastel blue stood outside on their small porch. In his beige sack were poking edges of mails, creating a jagged half-inflated balloon-like structure. His other hand was behind his back, eyes were firm on their faces as a smile bloomed on his lips. It didn't take a genius to note the excitement practically vibrating off from the person in front of them. But Ares seemed more impatient now that they were here.

"Well," her brother said. "May we have the results, please?"

"Always so polite with you," the mailman said, one neither Elo twins ever properly learned the name of despite him being their only mailman assigned to this small road of houses. "Now, I'm as excited as you both to be opening the letters. This is a momentous occasion, another milestone of you two crossing into adulthood."

"Yes, yes," Ares said, his impatience now making him curt. He handed out his hand. "As much as I would like to listen to you ramble on about how proud you are, Eustace, we really would like to know the results now."

Eustace. Had Ares always taken note of his name? As quickly as the thought crossed her mind, she tossed it aside to focus on the moment. She nodded. She would like to quickly get this over now. The nervousness was beginning to make her nauseous. And that was not something she would like to carry around for the rest of the day.

Eustace sighed, the hand behind his back now showing the two letters they both had been waiting for. In cream-coloured envelopes with their names typed on, this was it. Ares picked the one with his name, already tearing through the crease. She hesitated. From the corner of her eyes, the letter unfolded in trembling hands only for a soft breath to be released. Her brother took at most a few seconds before he closed the letter and nodded. His face was an expressionless mask.

And her heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach.

The mail man gave them a wry smile, lips tugging to one side more than other. "Ah, no Engineering?"

Ares shrugged, gaze downcast at the slightly crumpled letter. The lack of reply was enough of an answer, ironically. She no longer wanted to read hers. But they would need to report to work tomorrow at dawn. She would have to know sooner or later. And the choice was taken form her grasp when Ares nudged her shoulder. When glassy green-grey eyes stared into hers, her resolve to no longer be excited became stronger. A hand touched her wrist.

"Go on," Ares whispered. "At least see if you got into your division."

Her throat worked with words she would like to tell him. But none would sound good. Not in front of a stranger. She would need to cheer him up later. Maybe bring him to their secret hiding spot just outskirts of the city. A two-hour ride by tram and four on foot. But the breeze and the small river with fishes swimming to open a new world void of mechanics and shrieking factory pipes and blackening skies would be worth it. For the smile on his face.

Swallowing past a lump of indescribable emotions, her fingers shook as they sliced through the crease. Unfolding the similarly cream paper, she skipped through the pleasantries and the marks she obtained from the written and practical exam she undertook just a week ago to get to the box where her field was written. Her heart stopped beating a millisecond.

Maintenance.

How was she in Maintenance? It was then she scanned through paragraphs of how Eldora Ministry of Employment had her sorted when she came to a dead stop at one particular result of an exam. A practical assessment of fixing a stuck gear of a turning clock. The metal bird fixture wouldn't spin around nor exit the golden arches as the hands stroke twelve. And she had seen where it had gone wrong, having fixed it under half an hour.

And that had been the reason.

She breathed out.

This was surreal.

"Maintenance?" Ares said, voice soft. Eustace's gasp had her rooting her thoughts back to reality. The paper in her hands trembled. "Maintenance."

"Wow," Eustace said. "Maintenance. Who knew an Elo would be the newest addition to that team."

"Surely this is a mistake," she said. "I...I'm not worthy to be..."

Taking care of the central mechanisms that brought life into Eldora. Holding the Machina Key in her fingers as she would be tasked to keep the power source of their nation alive. And yet, her shoulders hadn't felt heavy at the thoughts. Maybe it would later. When reality really sunk into her head. Unless she woke up from this dream. When Ares snatched the paper from her hands, he whistled lowly under his breath.

"This is wonderful news," Eustace said. "Not many people are chosen for that field. You must be proud of yourself."

She didn't feel proud. Just scared. Terrified even. She flexed her fingers before she dropped them to her sides. Sensing that she was not truly that thrilled, Eustace scratched the back of his neck, clearing his throat. Taking a step back, he then tipped his blue-white cap a bit lower.

"Well, I should get to delivering the rest of these mails," he said. He gave a smile to the twins. "Good luck with work, Elos. I'm sure you'll do great. Make Eldora proud!"

Ares merely scoffed before he pressed a hand on her arm. Nudging her back into their house, door closing shut behind them, she rubbed her face. She had no intention on being in the so-called 'elite' team. Her goal had been to work with Dr Green on his botanical experiments. Cross-pollinating different flowers and understanding further the idea of cross-breeding was fascinating. And yet, the government thought better.

"What...what did you get?" she said, her voice soft.

Ares didn't answer her. Instead, he handed the letter to her. She picked it out of his grasp, opening it to scan the words. Until her brother's field reached her vision. Dropping the paper like it was fire, she took a step back.

"That's dramatic," Ares said. Probably meant as a joke. But it fell flat...as it should. He bent down to pick it up. "Who knew." He met her eyes. "Trader."

"Trading," she said, head swirling with implications of what this meant for them both. "You're going to be a Trader."

"How funny." Ares moved past her to place both letters on their coffee table. "I knew I wouldn't get into the field I wanted. But I didn't think they'd find me this expendable."

"You're not," she croaked out, lessening the distance between them to grab his shoulders. "We can ask for a re-score. You can't be a Trader."

Ares shook her hands off to shrug. "And yet, they think so."

Trader. No one who had been a Trader ever came back. Especially when they had only ever been used as a bargaining chip to the Underground City Central of Europium. Directly beneath the soles of their feet, a whole other nation resided. A shaky treaty between them and the other side was made out of desperation when war on both ends costed more loss than profit.

And Traders kept peace by checking up on Europium to keep the treaty alive.

But they rarely came back. And if they did, they were a changed person.

And she would not like to see that happen to her brother. Her only family.

When her vision blurred, heaviness in her heart echoing down to the tips of her fingers, it was then Ares moved to wrap his arms around her. Pulling her into his tight embrace,the world seemed far darker than the soots covering chimneys and smokes covering the sky. No. This was a void so dark that there was not a hint of light to see through it.

"I'll be fine," Ares whispered against her hair.

It only sounded like he was reciting mechanically. Like an empty shell of a man.

Frighteningly, this version of him could very well be the version Capella would see if he returned from Europium.